IN-FORM Great Yarmouth finally laid a ghost to rest on Saturday with their first ever victory over Ketteringham Hall to make it three wins out of three this season.

Winning his third toss in a row, skipper Fitzsimmons invited the home side to bat first under overcast skies in this Norfolk League Division One encounter.

New ball pairing Ellis and Vickers were their usual miserly selves, with Vickers into the wickets immediately when Butler (6) gloved one to short leg. Vickers (3-21) struck twice more in close succession, first clipping the off bail to remove Howes (6) and then having Charlish (8) caught behind.

Noakes replaced Vickers and was quickly into the wickets himself when he bowled Quinton (4). Opener Smith had been watching this carnage from the other end and then made the situation worse when he hit the ball to Hak in the covers and called Bush (4) through for a single he was never going to make.

Ketteringham Hall were struggling at 44-5 before Smith and Perera launched a fightback with the highest partnership of the innings as they took the score to triple figures.

Perera (25) had been dealing in boundaries, with all but one of his runs coming in fours, but his attacking innings was ended when he was bowled by Johnston. Oxborough (1-28) had been toiling away at the other end without any luck but in his final over claimed the key wicket of Smith (48).

When Batch (0) slogged Johnston’s delivery straight up in the air, the home side were 113-8 and staring down the barrel but Mackenzie (32) had other ideas and put on an exhibition of powerful stroke play to take his side to a more defendable target. He finally perished when he skied one to long on where Oxborough completed a tricky catch to give Johnston (3-36) his third wicket. Yarmouth couldn’t take the final wicket for maximum bowling points and Ketteringham Hall finished on 146-9.

Kettering Hall opted to open their attack with the slow bowling pairing of Perera and Petzold.

Opening for Yarmouth, Sole and Fitzsimmons got off to their slowest start of the season but still had 21 on the board after six overs.

For the second week in a row Fitzsimmons (5) managed to pick out a fielder on a full toss.

Hak joined Sole and the pair consolidated the position and then began to take the attack to the home bowling. The run rate increased markedly with the introduction of the change bowling, with the pair finding the boundary regularly.

Both batsmen passed the 50 mark in a match-winning 115 run partnership ended when Sole (65) needlessly gave away his wicket.

Hak (70 not out) and Derry (3 not out) knocked off the remaining runs to give Yarmouth victory by eight wickets and maintain their 100 per cent start to the new season.

Apollo Tavern Man of the Match was Paul Vickers for another outstanding display with the new ball.

Ketteringham Hall: M Smith c Hak b Oxborough 48, C Butler c Sole b Vickers 6, T Howes b Vickers 6, O Charlish c Derry b Vickers 8, T Quinton b Noakes 4, A Bush run out 4, R Perera b Johnston 25, N Mackenzie c Oxborough b Johnston 32, L Batch c Derry b Johnston 0, J Howes not out 6, T Petzold not out 1; extras 6. Total 146-9. Bowling: Ellis 9-3-30-0, Vickers 11-2-21-3, Oxborough 12-4-28-1, Noakes 7-1-27-1, Johnston 6-0-36-3.

Great Yarmouth: M Sole b Howed 65, L Fitzsimmons c Smith b Perera 5, S Hak not out 70, N Derry not out 3; extras 7. Total 150-2. Bowling: Perera 9-3-30-1, Petzold 6-1-17-0, Mackenzie 7-1-39-0, Howes 7-0-38-1, Batch 3.2-0-23-0, Quinton 1-0-6-0.